Trama

Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra, her seven year old sister. Two decades later, Petra also becomes an actress and goes to New York in search of Elena. She only has a few clues about her: home movies, newspaper clippings, a diary and letters. At any moment Petra hopes to find Elena walking in the streets in a silk blouse. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused; we no longer know one from the other. When Petra finally finds Elena in an unexpected place, she has to learn to let her go.—Busca Vida Filmes

Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra, her seven year old sister. Two decades later, Petra also becomes an actress and goes to NY in search of Elena. She only has a few clues about her: home movies, newspaper clippings, a diary and letters. At any moment Petra hopes to find Elena walking in the streets in a silk blouse. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused; we no longer know one from the other.—Anonymous

The film is NOT about someone "looking for a lost sister". The director, Petra Costa, is Elena's younger sister, who became a filmmaker. The film is a true story, a documentary that recreates her Elena's steps, using childhood memories, home videos, photos and interviews.—Alex M.

This documentary can be hard to comprehend without this synopsis. Elena goes to NYC to follow in her mother's footsteps to find work as an actor. The narrator is Elena's younger sister Petra who remembers Elena via her video recordings and then follows her to NYC to look for her.—Puneet Lamba